USA > Wisconsin > Walworth County > History of Walworth county, Wisconsin, Volume II > Part 74
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The Ayer family had at that time as neighbors, at the east, Edwin Wilkin- son, father of the numerous Wilkinsons of this locality; Joe Whitely, father of all the Whitelys; Elder Lake, father of all the Lakes; Joe Crumb, father of all the Crumbs; on the north of Mr. Gardner, William Kuhn and a Mr. Con- verse : on the west, two families of Plummers. Dr. Mulford, Nathaniel Smith, Mark Pierce, Peter D. Hawver, and other old citizens : on the south, David Bentley, father of the present Mr. Bentley ; Mr. Tucker, father of all the Tuck- ers : Dolph Hutchinson, Amos Pease, a Mr. Rogers and others. These men
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were all living here at the time the Ayer family came to Big Foot Prairie, and they have all long ago crossed the Great Divide.
Edward E. Ayer has a very vivid recollection of his early boyhood at Ayer's Corners, and especially of the little cobble-stone school house a quarter of a mile west of the corners. He also remembers that in the early fifties numerous Indians came through the entire county every year. Having come to Walworth county in 1846, he grew up amid pioneer conditions. From 1848 to 1856 he rarely went to school more than two days at a time without being thrashed. Upon settling at Harvard in 1856 he attended school part of the time, and bought and sold chickens and turkeys: he kept a limehouse and finally, when his father went into the hotel business, he was night clerk there until 1859. In 1860, being then a little over eighteen years of age, he crossed the great western plains, landing in Nevada broke, and there he worked until he had saved money enough to get across the mountains to San Francisco, where he had friends, arriving there with twenty-five cents. He found his friends a little poorer than he was, but he went to work the following morning sawing wood with a buck-saw, at which he worked for about two months, then worked a few months in a planing-mill. Then the Civil war coming on, he enlisted in the First California Cavalry, on August 15, 1861.
Mr. Ayer and his comrades were sent to southern California by water and from there on to Arizona and New Mexico, into the great desert in which Mr. Ayer served two years and ten months, during which time there was per- petual Indian fighting. He never slept under a tent in travel, and rarely was doing anything else. The hardships of the terrible desert campaign were such as to try the mettle of the most heroic, and Mr. Ayer recalls many interesting reminiscences of those trying times. For meritorious conduct he was pro- moted to second lieutenant in the First New Mexican Infantry, in January, 1864, it being a company of Mexicans. Resigning in May of that year, he started home over the famous Sante Fe trail in a stage, the trip to Kansas City requiring twelve days of constant travel. He finally reached home the first day of the following July, having been away four years and two months, and he was twenty-two years and four months old when he got back. His many experiences had been a schooling for him in many ways. His father gave him a small interest in his dry goods store, and two years later he commenced rail- road contracting. He has been reasonably successful financially.
Always having in mind the poor show he had for an education, Edward E. Ayer determined, if he ever prospered, to try and make it easier for the boys who came after him. This he has had in mind all his life in making the great collection of literature on the North American Indian, some thirty-three thou-
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sand titles, which he has given to the Newberry library, and making his great collection of North American Indian paraphernalia, a large ornithological library, the Philippine collection, and the eighteen years work given to the Field Museum in Chicago. In his work in connection with the Art Institute, Thomas Orchestra, historical societies, archaeological societies, and all of this sort of work, it has been his constant thought that he would try to leave the poor boys that came after hint in better shape to obtain an education than he was. It has been observed that all men who have done this kind of work have found that it is, first, a great pleasure to make collections: after that. twice as much pleasure to put them into societies, museums and libraries where they can be perpetuated ; this theory is held by Mr. Ayer.
The subject took up his residence at Lake Geneva in 1875. He is abso- lutely devoted to the state of Wisconsin, especially to Walworth township, this county, and while he has been in the habit of leaving the county for a few months each year for the past thirty years, he says he never comes back to it without a feeling of greater admiration than he had previously felt.
The domestic life of Edward E. AAyer began on September 7, 1865, when he was united in marriage with Emma Burbank, at Harvard, McHenry county, Illinois. She is a lady of culture and refinement and has long been a favorite with a wide circle of friends. She was born on November 25. 1845, and is the daughter of Abner and Elizabeth Burbank, an influential old family. The union of Mr. and Mrs. Ayer has been blessed by the birth of one child, Eliza- beth Burbank Ayer, whose birth occurred on November 28, 1866; she married Seward Johnson on September 3, 1890.
Mr. Ayer is an enthusisatic auto man and he keeps several cars. During a good autoing season he will probably average one hundred miles per day, riding about the country, the beauties of which he never tires. His residence and grounds along the south shore of Lake Geneva are known as "The Oaks." He owns about twelve hundred acres of valuable land, about seven hundred acres of which is farm land, known as "Upland Farm," which is under a high state of cultivation and improvement and is one of the "show places" of Wal- worth township. The remaining five hundred acres is nearly all natural forest, chiefly of oak. Mr. Ayer has made an effort to retain about "The Oaks" the natural beauty of nature as far as is consistent with a clean, comfortable, well- kept place. The woods are threaded with six or seven miles of drives and five or six miles of walks, and are open to the public, visitors being permitted to go through them at all times, so long as they do not abuse the privilege.
Approaching "The Oaks" from a distance, one sees above the tree tops the observation tower, which is probably the highest point about the lakes. Its
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base is two hundred and forty-two feet above the level of the lake and the tower is about seventy-five feet to the top. From it one may obtain an inspir- ing panorama, embracing nearly the entire surface of beautiful Lake Geneva. The grounds at the lakeside are enclosed by a stone wall of large field stones. There is the main residence, the guest cottage and various other cottages and residences, providing genuine comfort unexcelled. Near the guest cottage is the rose garden, a rare beauty spot, and from that, passing through a pergola, one comes to the aquatic garden, in which are water lilies. The water is drawn from springs on high land, being piped to the residence and grounds.
Mr. Ayer has traveled very extensively and has, seemingly, gathered mementoes and interesting specimens of various kinds from almost every land. In his garage are enlarged pictures of scenes embraced in his travel. In his house are specimens of rich and antique furniture, some of exquisite hand carv- ing. There are ancient chests, oriental furniture, arms from different ages and different peoples, strange musical instruments and unique relics of various kinds. The prevailing color of delft blue gives a cool, restful "atmosphere" about the place in summer. The mantel of delft blue tile contains hundreds of tiles, no two alike, each depicting some scene from the Bible. There is a separate cottage containing curios from Egypt. Being a close student and a keen observer, Mr. Ayer talks most interestingly of his travels and in giving the history of his many souvenirs.
Out in the grounds is a fine fountain, imported from Italy, and several stone lanterns of Japanese dot the landscape. On the lake is the splendid and graceful yacht "Tula," as fast as any on the lake.
"Upland Farm," adjoining "The Oaks" on the south, is devoted to mod- ern agricultural pursuits and the raising of a fine grade of cattle, sheep and hogs. On Upland farm No. One are two barns, forty-eight by fifty feet and about fifty feet high, their basement walls of stone being twelve feet high, and the lots about them are enclosed by high stone walls very substantially built. The ground floors of the barns are of concrete and here may be seen about two hundred head of high grade Holstein cattle, of which about half are registered. They are curried as regularly as good horses should be, and the milking is done with milking machines. The barns are kept clean and sanitary. Near them is the power-house where the power is generated, used in running the electric light plant and many kinds of machinery. Running through both barns are long lines of shafts and pulleys for transmitting power to whatever place it may be needed. On the second floor, which is reached by embankment, are to be seen all kinds of up-to-date implements used in modern farming, from the hoe
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up to corn-huskers, shredding machines, power hay-press and threshing ma- chine. There is also a machine shop nearby in which power-operated ma- chinery has been installed, also a blacksmith shop. There are two comfortable and convenient residences for the men who do the actual farming, and another residence on Farm No. Two.
On Upland Farm No. Two is also a substantial barn, fifty by one hundred and fifty-six feet and about sixty feet high, and here the sheep and hogs are housed, the Shropshire sheep being all thoroughbred and the Duroc-Jersey hogs are every one registered stock.
Personally, Mr. Ayer is a pleasant gentleman to meet, plain, unassuming and courteous, a broad-minded, experienced, progressive business man in whom is a touch of the esthetic in his taste for the beauties of nature, art and liter- ature, and he is a man who has at heart the welfare of his locality and who de- sires the right to prevail in all relations of life.
THE LAKE GENEVA SANITARIUMS.
Apart from the summer villas, their residents and their guests, the most important interest of Lake Geneva is, without doubt, the sanitariums. Our summer residents, the sanitariums and our dairies are about our only original sources of revenue. In the course of most other business, in Lake Geneva, money is collected here and sent away. The development of the Lake Geneva Sanitariums has been so regular and gradual that it has been accepted rather as a matter of course and their importance, we think, has been little realized.
Founded twenty-seven years ago, the growth of the sanitariums has been constant and important. During the past ten years, from the proceeds derived from its patients, the sanitariunis have brought each year, from a distance, from eighty-five thousand to one hundred thousand dollars and expended this money in Lake Geneva. It is true that one hundred thousand dollars is a small sum for a town such as ours, but we would miss it if it were not con- stant in its arrival.
The sanitariums are not alone important to us on account of the money they bring to Lake Geneva, but their rooms are conveniently open to any one requiring the service of a hospital. Any patient, whether surgical, medical or nervous, may put himself under the skillful care of its physicians and nurses. The doors are open to any local or other reputable physician to bring his patient to the surgery, the Lakeside Sanitarium or to Oakwood, and there attend him
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throughout his illness. If desired, physicians can bring with them their own nurses. Members of the consulting staff are able to arrive within a few hours, from Chicago, on being called. To anyone suffering from injury or illness, other than a contagious malady, the doors are open. Thus Lake Geneva is well provided with hospital facilities, far beyond most cities larger in size.
The Lake Geneva Sanitariums were founded by Dr. Oscar A. King in 1883. The work was begun systematically. First, the Legislature of 1883 was asked to pass certain laws governing such institutions. Up to that time the statutes of Wisconsin were silent on the subject. Dr. King's bills were passed without amendment, and, with but one small amendment, still continue in force. To these statutes, more than to any other cause, are due the establish- ment of the great number of sanitariums in the state of Wisconsin, which are more numerous than those of any other state in the Union.
In the rivalry for location, Lake Geneva competed with Beloit, Janesville, Palmyra and other cities. Janesville and Beloit each offered five thousand dollars bonus and a suitable site. Palmyra offered a site of forty acres in the town and a perpetual lease of the springs. Lake Geneva was able to offer only fifteen hundred dollars through subscriptions to the fund by citizens, and free water supply to the sanitarium buildings and grounds ; this, through the offices and energy of James B. Heg, then owner and editor of the Herald. A substantial percentage of the promise was fulfilled. Lake Geneva won through the beauty of location and its nearness to Chicago:
Oakwood, the first of the Lake Geneva Sanitarium buildings to be erected, was completed during the winter of 1884-5. The building of the Lake Geneva Sanitariums has occupied all of one man's time for the past twenty-seven years. For the building of such institutions is not alone the piling up of bricks and stone, the construction of buildings, but the filling them with patients. Dr. King has taken little or no time for social life. His time has been spent with his patients in the sanitariums, in his office in Chicago, and in his college work. This work he began as a young man, and while building the sanitariums at Lake Geneva, he was building a reputation in Chicago and the country. On September 27, 1882, he delivered the first medical lecture ever given in the Col- lege of Physicians and Surgeons, Chicago, having been chosen professor of dis- eases of the mind and nervous system on his return from the University of Vienna, where he had studied, in this department, under Weiss, Lydersdorf and Meynert. He has continued since 1882 as the head of the department of neurology, delivering three lectures and clinics each week. He has been chief of the staff in the departments of nervous diseases of the West Side Free Dis- pensary during the same period of time. In 1893 he was made secretary of the
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college and professor of clinical medicine, and in 1904 was elected vice-dean of the College of Physicians and Surgeons, the College of Medicine of the Uni- versity of Illinois, which office he still holds. In these positions he has gained a wide reputation as a neurologist and the success of the sanitariums at Lake Geneva has been no less due to Dr. King's work done in Chicago than to his work done in Lake Geneva. Dr. King has never missed a week out of his service in the college during the past twenty-nine years, and is now one of three of the present faculty who were members of the first faculty of the college, and during all of these years the upbuilding has also had his constant application.
Oakwood was opened for patients on the 13th day of May, 1885. Some- time later, Mr. Walter's house, now the surgery, was purchased. An addition to Oakwood was built in 1889. In 1893, Lakeside Sanitarium was founded and in 1896 Lakeside Cottage, the former residence of Robert Baker, of Racine, was established. In the past few years another addition to Oakwood has been built and many interior and exterior improvements made. Oakwood is practically fire-proof Its exterior walls are of stone and brick, with hollow space ; there is no furring. The inner walls are of solid brick from basement to attic and all walls are plaster upon the brick. The main stair is of marble and the floors of mosaic tile and hard-wood. Where hard-wood floors exist there is two inches of cement between the lining and the finishing floor and run- ning from wall to wall. It is lighted by electricity and heated by steam, while the ventilating system is such that any room may be filled with smoke and per- fectly cleared in ten minutes without opening windows or door.
An extensive hydropathic department with thorough equipment for vari- ous treatment-baths and exercises occupy an entire floor. Separate parlors and dining rooms are available for every five to seven patients. The whole building is thoroughly well equipped and furnished. Its carpets are English wilton and rugs of equal grade and its beds are furnished with box springs and hair mattresses. Within, the parlors and rooms present the appearance of a most comfortable hotel or private residence and none of tlie appearance, sounds or odors commonly thought unavoidable in hospitals are discernible.
The surgery is a separate building. It has a well-equipped, thoroughly antiseptic and modern operating room. There are large, airy bed rooms with pleasant outlooks, suitable bathis and diet kitchen.
Lakeside Sanitarium is situated on the very shores of Lake Geneva and is equipped and utilized for the care and treatment of medical and general sani- tarium cases. The grounds of Lakeside are about a half mile distant from those of Oakwood. The lake borders these grounds in front and to the west.
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while Maxwell park bounds the grounds on the east, thereby affording quietude and a delightful outlook from the windows of every room.
There are broad porches, wide, sunny lawns, fine trees. deep shade and excellent play grounds.
In summer, bathing. boating, fishing, sailing. croquet, tennis, riding and driving are available for patients who have the inclination or for whom activity is desirable. In winter, sleighing, skating, ice-boat sailing and all out-door winter sports are available under the most agreeable circumstances. Within doors billiards, books, music, dancing, social entertainments and agreeable as- sociations pass the time acceptably and with benefit to all.
One entering Lakeside or the Cottage sees nothing to suggest a habitation for the sick. The halls and parlors are well furnished, fresh and bright and suggest a private home rather than an institution. There is observed, in all. a cordiality and cheerfulness seen no where apart from the freest social inter- course among friends. Nevertheless the treatment of the sick practically en- gages the entire attention of doctors and nurses.
Dr. King has strong support in the resident and attending medical staff. We may mention these : Dr. U. G. Darling, assistant professor of neurology and psychiatry. College of Physicians and Surgeons. Chicago, with long ex- perience in general practice, and for ten years assistant to Dr. King in the col- lege, resident physician at Oakwood: Dr. Oscar Hawkinson, former interne at Passavant Hospital. Chicago, resident physician at Lakeside : Dr. James C. Reynolds and Dr. William H. McDonald of this city, attending physicians. and Dr. T. A. Davis, Chicago, attending surgeon.
The active consulting staff. resident in Chicago. include men of national reputation, among whom are, Dr. Frank Billings. Dr. Henry B. Favill. Dr. James B. Herrick, Dr. Archibald Church, Dr. Twing B. Wiggin. Dr. Otto Schmidt. Dr. Hugh T. Patrick. Dr. E. J. Doining, Dr. Sidney Kun. Dr. Walter Metcalf and Dr. C. B. King. physician: Dr. T. A. Davis, Dr. Alex. H. Ferguson, Dr. David B. Graham, Dr. D. N. Eisendrath, Dr. Matthew Corbett, and Dr. Henry T. Byford, surgeons.
In the first place stands the laboratory. Trained assistants are employed in the use of instruments of accuracy and methods of procedure in chemical. microscopical and physical examinations, as well as in thorough psychological investigation.
Regular courses of instructions are given in appropriate fields of knowl- edge. mental exercises and drills are conducted with a view to strengthening. restoring or developing the faculties, particularly that of the will. Such treat-
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ment is believed to be important in a very large percentage of sanitarium cases, particularly in neurasthenia, hysteria and habit.
Such a course is regarded as a foundation stone in a permanent cure of hysteria and many other habit symptoms, the result of a nervous constitution, irrational living, slipshod and vicious education and idle indulgence-cases that can seldom be treated successfully at home. A training school for nurses was established a few years ago, which includes a course in domestic science. The course of instruction covers three years.
The full apartments at Oakwood and the increased number of applications as patients during the summer and fall, lead to anticipations of greatly in- creased demand for accommodations in the near future.
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